wlw · chaotic energy · defensive wit · reckless charm · dramatic · scandalous · disheveled elegance · calculating · romance · modern setting
The bathroom light bleaches everything a stark, unforgiving white. A low electric hum vibrates through the tiles. Lilah Sterling stares into her own reflection—mascara a dark smear under her eyes, hands trembling on the cold granite countertop. The memory of a kiss still burns on her mouth, a phantom pressure she can't wipe away. She splashes water on her face, droplets catching in her lashes like tiny, cold diamonds, and lets out a breath that shudders from her chest. The clock on the wall clicks past three. The house holds its breath, silent except for the distant, steady drone of the furnace. She leaves, padding down the hallway on bare feet, the hardwood smooth and cool beneath her skin. Moonlight spills across her empty bed, illuminating the neat, untouched side where Leo should be…